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A happy jolt of excitement brushed across my mind as she pounced, and I smiled, loving her joy.
We played for several minutes, and I even started running up and down the length of the main cabin, dragging the strap behind me.
After sliding to a halt in front of the bathroom, I spun on the ball of my foot and ran toward the front, glancing over my shoulder to watch Lila chase after.
Laughter burst from me.
I looked forward just in time to keep from running into Raxnor, who filled the doorway to the cockpit. His dark eyes watched me carefully as I slid to a halt, but his face remained an impenetrable mask.
“Oh! I didn’t mean to bother you!”
“You didn’t bother me,” he growled.
I stood there for several more seconds that felt like freaking years, but he didn’t say anything more.Of course not! I’m Raxnor! I’m big and grumpy, and I don’t use my words!
I needed to find a way to crack open this piñata before my “husband” drove me mad!
CHAPTER TWENTY
Raxnor
Time crawled. I should have savored every moment I had with my mate, yet I fled to the cockpit, leaving her alone in the main cabin with Lila. By the time a couple of days had passed, I both dreaded and longed for our rendezvous with theDaredevil. I’d finally be able to escape her wounded eyes, which tore at me every time I met them.
But she’d also finally see just how many males she could choose over me. Even if she didn’t find another mate among the crew, it didn’t mean one wasn’t out there. The males on theDaredevilwere only a fraction of the Zaarn sent to Roam.
I said as much to Tark, staring out into the emptiness of space.
“Frek! You’re just looking for excuses!” He shook his head at me. It took a lot to exasperate him, but it seemed I’d finally reached his breaking point. Tark jabbed a finger at me. “You’ve got one more full day to fix things before we reach theDaredevil.”
“There’s nothing to fix.”
“I’ve known you for years now, and if anyone in all that time had called you a fool, I would have punched them. But here I am,”—he spread his arms wide—“calling you a fool.”
I grunted at him.
“You fix it tonight, or I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” I rounded on him. Was he going to take my Zo-Fee for himself? Rage washed my vision with red as a growl slipped from my lips.
“Calm the frek down.” Tark snorted in amusement. “I guess that mating possessiveness thing you hear about really is no joke.”
“Just you wait until you have a mate,” I gritted out from between clenched teeth. The mating pull rode me hard, demanding I claim her before letting any other male near.
“From your lips to the Goddess’ ears.” He bowed his head. “May she find her son worthy of one to share his fate.” Then he looked at me. “But if the Goddess does bless me, it won’t be Zo-Fee. She’s yours—you just have to go and get her.”
As if it was so simple!
I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair, deigning to answer.
Dinner once again provided me with no opportunity to speak. When Zo-Fee and Tark started talking, nothing stopped them. This time, the conversation turned to food.
Zo-Fee had been trying all the different dipping sauces we used to add some variety to the basic meat and vegetable rolls. She’d finally worked her way to my favorite, a salty one full of the rich, meaty taste of shira mushrooms. “Oh, I like this!” she nibbled on another bite and grinned at me. “These sandwich wraps are great!”
Tark, for once, did not immediately speak, so I cleared my throat. “We have a full galley on theDaredevil. The cooks make much more complex meals than this. But the rolls are portable and easy to eat, so we bring them on missions all the time.” Tark and I had eaten the last of the nicer, more perishable dishes on the flight to Tularia, but I wanted her to know she’d have proper food soon.
“They’re lots better than a pile of meat on a plastic wrapper, let me tell you.”
Zo-Fee said it like a joke, but a flash of unease haunted her eyes. Thank frek she’d only been with the lizards for a week. Even that short period of time had pained her. I couldn’t imagine anyone choosing to squash her intelligence and enthusiasm. A low growl hummed in my chest. If I ever got my hands on Senator Bila, I’d create a diplomatic incident.
